A MAGNIFICENT MONTH OF BRILLIANT SNAPPER FISHING
By CAPTAIN ROSS HUNTER..16/8/07
OUR SECOND HOME PT STEPHENS (ONE OF THE GREATEST FISHERIES IN THE WORLD)
It can be a long journey that life long experience we call fishing. For me it has been the guiding light, the lighthouse beam that has had a major influence on my life for over 50 years.
There are some spheres of fishing that, as a charter Captain I enjoy more than others after all on our boats we cover a fair gambit of fishing styles and techniques during a 12-month season.
The summer we fish my favourite part of the world and what I do believe are the most productive marlin grounds in the world for big striped marlin. Pt StephensEven if this were not so I would still go there I just love the place that much However it is not just the brilliant marlin fishing, it is also the superb scenery of the place that I never get sick of looking at, it really is a breathtaking port to leave from and then come home to after a busy days fishing.
The entrance to the port is made up of Headlands and Islands that are remnants of an extinct volcano from a long forgotten dinosaur era.
The highest mountain to the south Tomaree forms an embattlement that protects the mariners from bad weather, making the port a most safe passage for our boats
To the north Yaccabah with its picturesque, almost vertical mountainous slopes and giant wind eroded gorges that the sea pounds into with great force, sending plumes of spray forever skyward.
Always, a most spectacular sight as we steam to the bait grounds at first light.
The colours of these beautiful steeped cliffs changes constantly with sunlight, depending on the light of the day.
Then there's Cabbage Tree Island with its western rain forest and gorges full of cabbage trees, home of the tiny Gould's Petrel and a resident family of white-bellied sea eagles.
To the south Little Island and Boondelbah Island they all form the breathtaking oceanic entrance to the Port. Over the years there have been many fishing milestones, Broadbill's twenty-one marlin in a day in February 2005.
A day when a bait ball was found with an estimated 80 striped marlin working it up all day.
All we had to do was to back up to it, throw two live baits in and immediately hook up a double on stripes.
There also has been many World and Australian records on all kinds of tackle all caught from this world-class fishery.
As a charter Captain of too many years it is these fish I love to catch and I am convinced that to be really proficient as a marlin skipper it is a life long journey, there is so much to learn.
Both Glenn and myself fish these grounds for the marlin season from January to April , we regularly catch any where from 200 to 400 marlin between our boats for the season inc up to 21 in a day.
We use conventional , fly and spearfish for our charter clients.
These days, however my personal passions have turned full circle and I find myself enjoying the simple forms of fishing so much this is a normal transition, maybe going back to a second childhood if so it's OK by me.
On my days off from charter duties I sneak down the river a couple of minutes from home with my trusty blackfish rod and get lost in the beauty of the Georges as I watch my float for hours If the fish bite that's good if they don't I still love the serenity.
SNAPPER FISHING (THE CAPTAIN'S CHOICE)Another type of fishing I really do adore, is snapper, these are by far our most sought after table fish and they are great fighters on light gear.
I don't think there is any thing that is so exciting as a big snapper laying on the surface, having just appeared from the depths.
We fish an area called the "Hump' it is about 20 nautical mile from our port Botany Bay, for me personally I have fished the area for 40years
Our normal day starts at daybreak and ends at 5pm long but most enjoyable and productive days on our boats BROADBILL and BILLFISHER.
Having picked up my crew we generally steam to Marley Point (around 12 nautical mile) and then troll minnows along the cliff face embattlements of the Royal National Park.
We often get kings and a few salmon on the trip down.
Trolling only 20 metres from the shoreline, it is not uncommon to see wild deer, kangaroos, and white-bellied sea eagles as we head slowly southward.
The scenery leaves you with the feeling that you are in the wilderness, it is so wild and untouched..no houses, no man made catastrophes, just Australiana at its best and ya gotta love that!
This passage may take an hour, but it is an hour that every customer will take in the magnificence of the area and remember for a long time There place makes me feel good, just to be there. First Marley with its wild beaches, Garie, Burning Palms Era and Bolgo, all just as beautiful as each other.
The high cliffs are now punctuated by grassy valleys, silky white beaches, adorned by the high mountain ranges above, just so beautiful.
We then change course at Thirroul and head sea ward to our snapper grounds
I have accumulated many great fishing spots over the years, some in 25 metres and some as deep as 70 metres .
We choose an area that may look good on the sounder and then anchor; the pre-rigged rods of floater style and paternoster rigs are baited as the deckie starts the berley trail. The anglers grab a rod and get busy in anticipation.
I am first to grab my trusty Shimano Corsair and start feeding back a big lump of stripey in the light current.
The bait reaches the bottom maybe 80 metres back and "whack" the line is pulled through my fingers with a non-mistakable vengeance of a big snapper on the rampage.
Next thing an angler yells "I'm on too" as his rod bends over and line pours off.
The big reds are netted, accompanied by screams of joy, as they are ice slurry in the fish box.
The sea lazily rolls by as we are fanned by light west winds Broadbill lays on anchor as the sun warms my back, the snapper are biting their heads off,every one on the boat is loving itan me .well what do you reckon.